Keywords

Public HealthAlcoholEthnic GroupLower ProportionRelated Problem

Background

The pattern of alcohol use might vary among people of different cultural backgrounds. Differences in alcohol use and related problems among undergraduates of various ethnic groups - Slavs, Arabians in Minsk, Belarus were analyzed.

Materials and methods

In a randomized anonymous study, we analyzed the results of 1345 Slavic, 120 Arabian undergraduates in Minsk, Belarus. All respondents were administered questionnaire containing the AUDIT, including other alcohol-related questions. The AUDIT cut-off point was set at 8.

Results

Overall, 91.1% Slavic, 63.3% Arabian undergraduates were alcohol users. A total of 16.3% Slavic, 32.5% Arabian problem drinkers were identified. Generally, beer was the most preferred alcoholic beverage among the undergraduates of both the Slavic and Arabian population.

Conclusions

Differences in the pattern of alcohol use and related problems exist among various ethnicities - Slavs and Arabs in Belarus. The Slavs had higher percentages of alcohol users, but relatively lower proportion of problem drinkers, compared to the results of the Arabs. Higher AUDIT scores were recorded for the Arabs. No significant differences were noted in the preference for alcoholic beverages among all ethnicities.